By Oluwagbemiga Toye
President Bola Tinubu on Friday urged Nigerians to remain committed to democracy, national unity and economic reforms, saying the country has recorded 27 uninterrupted years of civilian rule and remains on the path of progress despite prevailing challenges.
In his Democracy Day address marking June 12, 2026, Tinubu called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), security agencies and political parties to ensure peaceful and credible governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun states, stressing that democracy thrives only when citizens have confidence in the electoral process.
The President paid tribute to the heroes of the June 12 struggle, including Chief M.K.O. Abiola, Alhaja Kudirat Abiola and several pro-democracy activists who endured persecution, imprisonment, exile and death in the fight for democratic governance. He said their sacrifices laid the foundation for the freedoms Nigerians enjoy today.
Tinubu also highlighted his administration’s efforts to tackle insecurity, revealing that terror-related deaths have declined significantly since 2015 and that over 13,000 terrorists were neutralised in the past year. He noted that more than 124,000 fighters and their dependents had surrendered through Operation Safe Corridor since 2023.
While expressing concern over the recent abduction of children in Oyo and Borno states, the President assured Nigerians that his administration remained committed to restoring security nationwide. He said the government had declared a security emergency, approved the recruitment of over 50,000 police officers and increased defence spending to N5.41 trillion in the 2026 budget.
On the economy, Tinubu said reforms introduced since 2023 had restored stability and improved investor confidence. According to him, federation revenues have increased, fiscal transparency has improved and investments are growing across key sectors including agriculture, energy, manufacturing, technology, mining and transportation.
The President said the administration had also prioritised energy sector reforms through the Electricity Act, which grants states powers to generate, transmit and distribute electricity. He added that efforts were ongoing to address the country’s metering deficit and settle legacy debts in the power sector.
Speaking on infrastructure and economic growth, Tinubu disclosed that the National Agricultural Development Fund would deploy 10,000 tractors over five years, while more than 1,000 small and medium-scale enterprises had been certified for export. He added that non-oil exports grew by 21 per cent in the last year.
The President reiterated his administration’s commitment to local government autonomy, describing effective grassroots governance as critical to national development and security. He said democracy must translate into improved living standards, job creation, food security and economic opportunities for all Nigerians.
Tinubu also announced the approval of the revitalisation and renaming of the Institute of Petroleum Studies, Kaduna, as the General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua University of Geological Sciences and Engineering Technology. He further unveiled a list of pro-democracy activists and military officers to receive national honours, saying the full honours list would be released in the coming days.
